Saturday Night Live, or more colloquially known asSNL, is a long-runningcomedy sketch showthat has been on air since 1975. The show features an ensemble cast of comedic regulars, musical acts and guest hosts. It always covers pop-culture zeitgeist and many of the show’s sketches often go viral, especially when they revolve around a certain U.S. President.SNLhas become a staple in many people’s lives, with viewers looking forward to the musical performers and new guest hosts each week.
Over the years, several celebrities have hostedSNL. From Betty White to Steve Martin, plenty of celebrities have made their name as thebest hosts of SNL. Conversely, there are a number of hosts who have become recognized as the worst guests to ever host the show. While some of the hosts were just plain bad, others went beyond simply being bad and crossed the line into being controversial. These are the most controversial hosts in the history ofSNL.
9Donald Trump
Considering his past statements and outlandish behavior as President of the United States, it comes as no surprise thatDonald Trumpshould make this list. However, long before he was elected, he managed to snag himself a spot as host onSNLback in 2015. Trump, of course, made jokes about his wealth and his tweets. His presence on the show led to hundreds of people protesting outside Rockefeller Plaza, where the show is filmed (viaVox). Not exactly the best choice on behalf ofSNL.
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8Adrien Brody
While Brody himself is not a very controversial actor, his actions onSNLwere not exactly desirable. Back in 2003,Adrien Brodyhosted alongside musical guest Sean Paul. It was not Brody’s monologue that was problematic, but rather his performance in a skit where he went off-script, wore dreadlocks, and spoke in a Jamaican accent. This highly offensive performance from this Oscar-winning actor led to being booed off-stage and being banned from ever-hostingSNLin the future.
Sinead O’Connorhas become known not only for her music, but for portraying her radical views on television, as she did onSNL. In 1992, O’Connor turned her performance into a protest as, during her music number, she ripped up a photo of Pope John Paul II on air in order to protest sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. This scene became an iconic representation of the singer’s strong beliefs, but also proved blasphemous for many members of the Catholic community.
6Steven Seagal
Known for a plethora of action films in which he claimed to have done his own stunts,Steven Seagalhas also had a number of allegations of sexual harassment and assault thrown his way over the course of more than two decades. But before all this came to light, Seagal made an appearance as host onSNLin 1991. His performance on the show was so bad that clips of his episode never made it to air and no recordings of the episode are available for viewing, essentially wiping Seagal fromSNL’s history forever (viaLooper).
5Bill Burr
Bill Burr’s comedy is definitely an acquired taste. Known for his somewhat dark sense of humor and his small roles in film and TV, as seen onThe Mandalorian, Burr divided audiences with his monologue onSNL —specifically, his statement about white women who have deemed themselves the leaders of the “woke movement.” While this statement may not seem that bad to some, others felt that Burr crossed the line. You can decide for yourself by watching his monologue onYouTube.
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4Ashlee Simpson
In 2004,Ashlee Simpsonmade an appearance as host alongside Jude Law. While Simpson was not controversial in the classically offensive sense, her appearance was still bad. During her musical performance of the song “Autobiography,” her band began to play the song, but the vocals for a different song called “Pieces of Me” played instead. Simpson was dumbstruck on camera before the show went to commercial. Many years later, Simpson took responsibility for the mistake.
3Lance Armstrong
In 2005, cycling proLance Armstronghosted an episode ofSNL. As this episode came out when the doping allegations were uncovered, choosing to have Armstrong host was a bit of a dicey decision to begin with. During his opening monologue, Armstrong made a self-deprecating joke about the doping allegations, saying that the last time he achieved something good, his urine was tested. While this may not seem like a big deal, the reality of Armstrong’s cheating being found out later rendered this joke in very poor taste.
2Martin Lawrence
Martin Lawrenceis a comedian known for films likeBad BoysandBig Momma’s House. He hosted an episode ofSNLin 1994, and it did not go over as well as he hoped. Lawrence made the decision to improvise his opening monologue, during which he spoke about feminine hygiene. This monologue resulted in hundreds of complaints to the network and led to him being banned from the show permanently. When Lawrence spoke out about the experience, he stated that he wasn’t banned fromSNL, but was banned from their network, NBC, for a while, who wound up sending Lawrence an apology letter for their actions.
1Rudy Giuliani
This name may not be familiar to some, butRudy Giulianiwas a lawyer and politician who served as the 107th Mayor of New York City. Giuliani is not a natural entertainer, considering his profession, and has indeed made many lists as one of the worst hosts to ever don the stage atSNL. Despite this, he hosted a total of three episodes, during one of which he got friendly with Saddam Hussein, a skit that did not go over well with audiences everywhere as it was just in bad taste.
